Elaine Magee

The Recipe Doctor

From low-fat recipes to recipes designed for persons with diabetes, Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, shares recipes and advice to create healthy meals that are guaranteed to please. [Editor's note: Elaine no longer contributes to Silver Planet, but we have made her archived blog entries available as a service to our readers.]


Posted 10/21/2009

A Bone-Building Dynamic Duo: Vitamin D Plus Calcium

A perfect example of how a vitamin works with a mineral to benefit the body

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

Perhaps you’ve already heard that not getting enough dietary calcium and vitamin D increases your risk of low bone-mineral density and stress fractures.

This is a perfect example of how a vitamin works with a mineral to benefit the body. Vitamin D teams up with calcium to help build bones by increasing the amount of calcium that gets absorbed in the intestines. Vitamin D is also needed for the regulation of serum calcium and phosphorus levels.

Are you getting enough vitamin D and calcium? Here are some practical ways to capitalize on this bone-building duo:

  • Choose high-calcium foods that are fortified with vitamin D, such as certain types of milk, yogurts, and breakfast cereals.
  • Enjoy oysters, canned mackerel, and most types of fish (which naturally contribute some vitamin D) with a high-calcium food such as yogurt, cheese, milk, cottage cheese, spinach, tofu, or green soybeans. Grilled halibut paired with an appetizer of edamame (green soybeans) is a great example.
  • Make a tuna melt. You get the vitamin D from the tuna and the calcium from the reduced-fat cheese. Have it on some whole wheat bread and you have a nutrient-packed, fiber-rich lunch.
  • Make a salmon Cobb salad, but substitute spinach for the lettuce.
  • Whip up a smoothie using vitamin D–fortified milk or soy milk plus a little vitamin D–fortified yogurt or tofu as a thickener.
  • Make a tuna casserole using reduced-fat cheese or cottage cheese. Use whole wheat pasta noodles, and the nutrient value of this entrée goes up even more!

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
The Recipe Doctor Blog

Contact our Silver Advisors ButtonOur Silver Advisors™ are professional geriatric care managers and other experts who provide phone consultations on preventing falls, navigating Medicare, evaluating senior driving challenges, and other issues baby boomers must resolve while caring for an aging loved one. Silver Advisors clarify concerns, suggest a plan of action, help prioritize next steps, and furnish personalized written plans and recommendations. All callers receive a complimentary 15-minute consultation.


What We Do
Silver Planet® helps baby boomers guide their parents to age in place by providing services and products related to aging at home and housing options.